Low Carb "Spaghetti" with Italian Sausage and Vegetables

Spaghetti is my most favorite meal.  Ever.  I love the process of making the sauce.  The aroma that permeates my kitchen is intoxicating.  The sprinkling of cheese and the moment I take that first bite is always satisfying.

Enter the low-carb/keto meals I'm enjoying for a bit.  How could I make my favorite meal and keep up with my new eating habits?

Before I even considered the sauce aspect, I knew I had to find a susbtitute for my favorite pasta noodles.  A little research turned up quite a few interesting options.  For this experiement, I chose the following brand.

These were in the refrigerated vegan section at Publix.  With only 2 net carbs and 20 calories, I knew this would be an excellent choice to try.  To prepare, you'll need to drain and thoroughly rinse the "noodles."  I placed the drained noodles in a dry skillet over medium heat and tossed around for a few minutes with tongs.  You can tell when the liquid has evaporated.  At that point, you're ready to put servings on plates and ladle on the sauce.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  We need to make the sauce!

Prepared sauces have a variety of carb amounts.  If you're going to use a jarred or canned sauce, make sure you read the labels carefully.  Also, tomato paste may surprise you with the carb content.  I chose diced tomatoes and let the sauce simmer for awhile to thicken up on its own.

1 lb. hot or mild ground Italian sausage

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

4 - 6 white button mushrooms, sliced

1 T. minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1 T. dried Italian seasoning

28 oz. can tomato puree

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

Chopped parsley, red pepper flakes, and parmesan for garnish

Place sausage in a Dutch oven or brasier over medium low heat.  Break up the sausage with a wooden spoon.  While sausage browns, add in the onions, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic.  Add in 1/2 t. salt and 1/2 t. black pepper.  Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the sausage is browned through and the vegetables have softened. Add in Italian seasoning and stir to combine.

Turn up the heat to medium high and let cook for a few more minutes.  The sausage will begin to slightly stick to the bottom of the pot.  You're building flavor with that.  Add in the diced tomatoes and scrape up any browned bits.  Reduce heat to low.

Stir in the tomato puree and bring to a simmer.

Cover and let simmer for an hour to an hour and a half, stirring frequently to keep from sticking.

Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

During the last 15 minutes or so of simmering, prepare the noodles as outlined above.

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